Computer simulation of anisotropic atomic distribution in amorphous thin film of Lennard-Jones system

Abstract

The deposition process of an Ar and a vhtual rare earth-transition metal (RE-TM) alloy thin film was simulated with a molecular dynamics method. Every 5 × 10 " sec, Lennard-Jones particles were introduced into a virtual space with the dimension of 58 × 58 × 166 Å3 An atomic deviation from a homogeneous distribution δ was calculated to investigate the Structure of the obtained fihn. The value of δ of the RE was in the order of 10−4, and was qualitatively in agreement with that estimated from experimental results. The computer simulation presented here is useful for the discussion of the origin of the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in an amorphous alloy thin film.